CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new Star Trek television series in January 2017. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent first-run episodes will then be available exclusively in the United States on CBS All Access, the Network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service.

The next chapter of the Star Trek franchise will also be distributed concurrently for television and multiple platforms around the world by CBS Studios International.

The new program will be the first original series developed specifically for U.S. audiences for CBS All Access, a cross-platform streaming service that brings viewers thousands of episodes from CBS’s current and past seasons on demand, plus the ability to stream their local CBS Television station live for $5.99 per month. CBS All Access already offers every episode of all previous Star Trek television series.

The brand-new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.

Alex Kurtzman will serve as executive producer for the new Star Trek TV series. Kurtzman co-wrote and produced the blockbuster films Star Trek (2009) with Roberto Orci, and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) with Orci and Damon Lindelof. Both films were produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.

The new series will be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Kurtzman’s Secret Hideout. Kurtzman and Heather Kadin will serve as executive producers. Kurtzman is also an executive producer for the hit CBS television series Scorpion and Limitless, along with Kadin and Orci, and for Hawaii Five-0 with Orci.

Star Trek, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2016, is one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time. The original Star Trek spawned a dozen feature films and five successful television series. Almost half a century later, the Star Trek television series are licensed on a variety of different platforms in more than 190 countries, and the franchise still generates more than a billion social media impressions every month.

Born from the mind of Gene Roddenberry, the original Star Trek series debuted on Sept. 8, 1966 and aired for three seasons – a short run that belied the influence it would have for generations. The series also broke new ground in storytelling and cultural mores, providing a progressive look at topics including race relations, global politics and the environment.

“There is no better time to give Star Trek fans a new series than on the heels of the original show’s 50th anniversary celebration,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. “Everyone here has great respect for this storied franchise, and we’re excited to launch its next television chapter in the creative mind and skilled hands of Alex Kurtzman, someone who knows this world and its audience intimately.”

“This new series will premiere to the national CBS audience, then boldly go where no first-run Star Trek series has gone before – directly to its millions of fans through CBS All Access,” said Marc DeBevoise, Executive Vice President/General Manager – CBS Digital Media. “We’ve experienced terrific growth for CBS All Access, expanding the service across affiliates and devices in a very short time. We now have an incredible opportunity to accelerate this growth with the iconic Star Trek, and its devoted and passionate fan base, as our first original series.”

“Every day, an episode of the Star Trek franchise is seen in almost every country in the world,” said Armando Nuñez, President and CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group. “We can’t wait to introduce Star Trek's next voyage on television to its vast global fan base.”

CBS All Access offers its customers more than 7,500 episodes from the current television season, previous seasons and classic shows on demand nationwide, as well as the ability to stream local CBS stations live in more than 110 markets. Subscribers can use the service online and across devices via CBS.com, the CBS App for iOS, Android and Windows 10, as well as on connected devices such as Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Roku players and Roku TV, with more connected devices to come.

The new television series is not related to the upcoming feature film Star Trek Beyond which is scheduled to be distributed by Paramount Pictures in summer 2016.

Agreed. I'm all for new Trek, but this project seems like nothing more than a commercial for a crap digital service no one wants. The fact that they're airing the first episode on TV and then are going to be like, "Pay to see the rest online, suckers!" only proves this.

While traditional TV won't go the way like radio did in the 1950s, streaming is definitely the new "pay cable" in addition to traditional "pay cable" channels like HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, etc. That said, standard TV nowadays is crap, mostly aimed at a least common denominator due to advertising and certain formulas. With an online streaming source, this could be more impetus to encourage streaming.

Enterprise just wasn't very good; despite fan myths about "franchise burnout" given that the series came on the heels of over two decades of movies, three other TV series, and numerous fan conventions including a fan film, Enterprise was subject to bland characters and confusing plots. That said, 12 years is a pretty decent gap between TV series, and with the technology and real life ideas that have surfaced, certainly has potential.

Agreed. I'm all for new Trek, but this project seems like nothing more than a commercial for a crap digital service no one wants. The fact that they're airing the first episode on TV and then are going to be like, "Pay to see the rest online, suckers!" only proves this.

In my excitement at new Trek, I did not read that.

My hopes and dreams are shattered. Except there was every chance this is gonna be in nuTrek continuity, which means I still won't watch it unless a Jem'Hadar and a Cardassian are both main characters.

As the foremost Trekkie on here (seriously, am I only the one? I feel like the only one), I'm cautious and already feeling like this is a mistake.

"New enemies?" Star Trek has never been about the enemies. Never. It's had some amazing enemies (the Dominion, the Borg Collective, the Cardassians and the Romulans), but they've never been the focus. Only movies have ever seriously promoted the "big bads" (Khan, Borg Queen, Shinzon, Nero, Totally-Not-Khan, Iris Elba)... and considering how nuTrek is already a fundamental misunderstanding of Star Trek, and this is probably following in its footsteps...

But I gotta start watching some Star Trek shows. What order should I watch 'em, guys?

The Original Series, but you have to watch only the good ones... there are quite a few stinkers.
The Next Generation, ditto.
Deep Space Nine, ALL OF IT.
Voyager, there are some good ones...
Enterprise, if you so desire prequels.

The Original Series, but you have to watch only the good ones... there are quite a few stinkers.
The Next Generation, ditto.
Deep Space Nine, ALL OF IT.
Voyager, there are some good ones...
Enterprise, if you so desire prequels.

I've been meaning to get into Star Trek as well, so thanks for the recommendations.

You will not miss anything if you skip Voyager, it takes the least amount of risks in Trek's whole televised canon, and Enterprise suffers from an identity crisis right until the last season and ends on a real bum note.

I would watch Enterprise first. I agree that the show didn't know what it was for a while, but it is the beginning. I think it does a good job of setting things up, and they deal with so much stuff that's figured out by the time Kirk and his crew are rolling through space, making cargo deliveries and facilitating diplomatic relations. Before the Federation, before the Prime Directive, and before Earth is a big player in galactic society, it really captures the excitement of trekking out into the final frontier.